MLB Player News

Gore (1-1) earned the win Monday against the Dodgers, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk over six innings. He struck out seven.

Gore stifled the star-studded Dodgers, generating an impressive 15 whiffs in this 100-pitch outing. The only blemish on the Washington left-hander's outing was a two-run homer yielded to Shohei Ohtani in the third inning. Gore has opened his season on an impressive run, pitching to a 2.65 ERA, supported by a 2.38 FIP, with 25:3 K:BB across 17 innings. The 26-year-old currently lines up to make his next start at Miami this weekend.

Lord will start Tuesday's game against the Dodgers, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Lord hasn't pitched more than one inning in an outing this season, but the Nationals are targeting him for 45-to-50 pitches in Tuesday's contest. Orlando Ribalta and Jackson Rutledge are two candidates to cover an inning or more behind Lord. Both pitchers should be fresh, as Rutledge hasn't pitched in a game since April 1 at Triple-A Rochester, while Ribalta hasn't been used out of the bullpen since Friday.

Ohtani went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, a triple and a walk in Monday's 6-4 loss the Nationals.

The Japanese superstar was a perfect 3-for-3 against southpaw starter MacKenzie Gore. After leading the game off with an infield single, Ohtani slugged a 378-foot homer in the third inning to tie the game at 2-2. The three-time MVP wasn't finished, however, returning in the fifth to hit his first triple of the season. Ohtani looks headed for another great season, as he's opened with a .311/.436/.644 slash line across 55 plate appearances.

May (0-1) took the loss Monday at Washington, allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out one.

The Los Angeles right-hander picked up his first quality start since May 12, 2023 in this 86-pitch outing. May averaged 95.0 mph on his fastball but did struggle to miss bats, generating just two whiffs. The 27-year-old's season is off to a solid start after he missed all of 2024, as he sports a 0.82 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 7:6 K:BB across 11 innings. May should continue to stick in the Dodgers' rotation, especially since Blake Snell (shoulder) hit the injured list on Sunday.

Musgrove (elbow) played catch Monday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Musgrove was encouraged by Monday's throwing session, citing all of the rehab he's done in the last six months to simply make it to this point. The team doesn't expect him to make his return during the 2025 campaign, but if all continues to go as planned, he should be in a great spot to be ready for the beginning of 2026.

Merrill is being held out of Monday's starting lineup against the Athletics due to a hamstring injury, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Acee notes that Merrill has been playing through a minor hamstring issue for a few games, and the team has ultimately elected to give him a day or two off as a precaution. Brandon Lockridge is getting the start in center field Monday and would likely be in line for another chance Tuesday if Merrill misses more time.

Cabrera (finger) has joined the team in New York following a rehab start Sunday at Triple-A Jacksonville, Fish on First reports.

Cabrera's activation from the 15-day injured list isn't imminent at this point, though the fact that he's joined Miami on the current road trip is likely a sign he's close to returning. The club will monitor the right-hander closely over the next few days to determine if he's in need of another rehab start.

Fraley was scratched from Monday's lineup against the Giants due to left side pain.

Fraley was originally slated to start in right field and bat eighth, but he will now take a seat. It's unclear what exact injury he's dealing with, but in the meantime, Blake Dunn will slide over to right field while Jacob Hurtubise enters the lineup in left field and bats eighth in the series opener with San Francisco.

Stephenson (oblique) received more good news after undergoing an MRI on Monday, and he'll begin to be more aggressive in his recovery, Pat Brennan of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Stephenson is continuing to fight through a left oblique injury, but another MRI showed that he's moving in the right direction. The Reds have yet to disclose a concrete timetable for a return, though he'll likely need to see at least a handful of at-bats in the minors before being activated from the 10-day injured list.

Reds manager Terry Francona said Sunday that Diaz (hamstring) is expected to remain at Triple-A Louisville before being activated from the injured list, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Francona said this before Diaz threw an inning for the Bats on Sunday. Diaz has struggled with command since suffering a hamstring injury early in spring training, and the plan is for him to pitch Wednesday and Thursday for Louisville. The back-to-back-day sequence is typically a tell that teams are preparing a pitcher to be activated. Francona also mentioned that he wants Diaz to be the team's closer, but that Diaz is not ready physically for the job in his current state.